A large percentage of people experience back pain in spite of the exercise craze sweeping the country. A large proportion of the working population experience some back pain during their working careers. In particular, some back pain requires surgery that might have been avoided had a proper stretching bench and stretching routine been available.
Most of the exercise equipment currently available is not suited for relief of back pain. It is possible that some exercise could promote, rather than cure, back-pain related problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,401 entitled “Ramped, horizontal, on-bench adjustable stretch bench for relieving a user's back pain” describes a ramped and horizontal stretching bench for relieving spinal and muscle conditions contributing to back pain. A handgrip and leg brace assembly is located under the horizontal bench portion that receives and supports a user's upper torso.
U.S. Pat. No. Des.390, 664 entitled “Bench” depicts a bench arrangement having a fixed handgrip extending above the bench with a fixed leg brace extending from opposite sides thereon.
It has been determined that the provision of an adjustable handgrip and leg brace arrangement upstanding from the top surface of the exercise bench allows for a variation of back exercise actions not heretofore possible with state-of-the-art stretch benches.
One purpose of the invention is to provided a ramped and horizontal stretching bench for relieving spinal and muscle conditions contributing to back pain, and more particularly to a stretching bench that has moveable and adjustable settings for increasing the effectiveness of such relief.